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A Houston man who claimed his dog had been shot to death in an ATV drive-by on New Year's Eve has been charged with shooting the dog himself.

Shane Hilliard had told the Fort Bend Sheriff's Office that two people riding four-wheel ATVs had attacked the dog while they were out walking on the 19200 block of Beechnut Street in Fort Bend.

Officers say they now believe that was a lie and that Hilliard killed the dog. They say he tried to cover up the lie by telling deputies that he and his wife had cremated the dog, a black laborador.

"During a thorough investigation, detectives found evidence that did not support Hilliard's story and determined he had given them several untruthful statements and that he himself shot the dog," the Fort Bend Sheriff's Office said in a prepared statement.

At the time, Hilliard told reporters his heart was broken.

"They saw me, there was no mistake, they murdered her," Hilliard told ABC 13. "That's just the only way to put it. They murdered my dog."

Shane Hilliard, 43, faces felony charges of cruelty to non-livestock animals which carries a punishment of 180 days to 2 years in jail and a possible fine of $10,000.

He also faces a charge of false reporting, which carries a fine of up to $2,000 and/or 180 days in jail.